SEAT at the Table - Presenters | Springfield College
 
Alijah Gonzalez(she/her)
 

I like working out and doing physical activities, I currently work part time, I am a general studies right now until I change it to health sciences

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Allie Burdick(she/her)
Allie Burdick

I am a recent graduate of Springfield College. I received a Masters of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling this past spring and I'm now adjunct faculty in the counseling department. I'm currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Southern CT State University studying Counselor Education and Supervision and I also work part-time as a clinician at Stafford Family Services in Connecticut where I live with my husband and 12 year-old twin sons. I'm one of the founding members of the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) chapter at Springfield College and I run a nonprofit social justice organization (Ellington Equality) in my hometown. I'm an avid runner and triathlete and was competitive in both sports until 2018.

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Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre
Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre

Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre is a cross disciplinary dance artist. She did her graduate work at The College of Brockport, State University of New York, and her undergraduate work at the National Conservatory of Dance in Mexico City. She performed professionally with companies such as Bill Evans Dance Company, Latina Dance Theater Project, Geomantics Dance Theater and Dramadanza. Among the inquiries that drive her creative and pedagogical work are: How can a teacher facilitate experiences that might propel a class into revelations on the power of dance? How can we train our minds and bodies to create sparks of truthful connection with our audience? How can we create work that nourishes our community’s needs for honesty, constructive provocation, intimacy, and the most elusive, controversial thing of all, beauty? She serves as assistant professor of dance at Southern Utah University.

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Ayanna C. Crawford(she/her)
 Ayanna C. Crawford

President of AC Consulting and media & Adjunct Professor in Commutations- M. Ed

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Brianna Dickens(she/her)
Brianna Dickens

I am an Adjunct in the Education Department. I am finishing up my doctorate in Special Education and am situated within the field of Disability Studies. I currently work as the Coordinator of Accessibility Services at Bay Path University. I enjoy the outdoors and mountains, particularly hiking, kayaking, and anything with my dogs.

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Caelan Carlough(he/him)
 

Media Chair of Gender and Sexuality Alliance; Majoring in Computer Science and Digital, Web, & Multimedia Design

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Calvin R. Hill(he/him)
Calvin R. Hill

Vice President, Inclusion and Community Engagement

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Catharine Cummings(she/her)
Catharine Cummings

The Reverend Catharine Cummings is Chaplain at Springfield College.

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Chris Gagne(he/him)     and Paris Lizana(she/her)
Paris Lizana and Chris Gagne

Chris Gagne: Faculty member in the Visual and Performing Arts department (VAPA), where I teach courses in music history and direct the Springfield College Band.

Paris Lizana: Junior sports management major, President of the Black Student Union, Co-VP of Women of Power

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Colleen Brown(she/her)
Colleen Brown

I'm a sophomore in the Occupational Therapy program. I enjoy taking part in community service. Some of my hobbies include going to the gym, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

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Jennifer Charlera, Danielle Fernandes, and Dominique Chaves
 

Jennifer Charlera: English Secondary Education '22 (Undergraduate); President, Springfield College Women’s Rugby; Vice President, Student Society For Bridging Diversity; Vice President, Of Diversity and Inclusion of SGA; Editor, The Alden Street Review

Danielle Fernandes: Sports Biology 2022; President, Scientists Embracing Equality and Diversity; Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion of SGA

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Donald Brown(he/him)
Donald Brown

Class of '69 (Bachelor of Arts, Community Leadership & Development) & '78 (Rehabilitation Counseling). Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Areas of interest: conceptualizing, developing, and implementing initiatives aimed at improving the academic, social , cultural, physical and moral development of youth.

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Donna Wang(she/her)
Donna Wang

Professor & BSW Program Coordinator, PhD, MSW

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Emily Tonning(she/her)
 

I am vice president of the student GSA, an editor for the Alden Street Review, and a facilitator for leadership summit. I am studying communication disorders and would like to be a vocal therapist or speech pathologist. I love crocheting and studying music, mushrooms, and the French language.

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Faith Girton(she/her)
Faith Girton

1st Year Master's student- Athletic Counseling, my background; founder of first natural hair club at Indiana University.

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Felicia Lundquist(she/her)
Felicia Lundquist

Felicia Lundquist currently serves as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Springfield College. Lundquist has dedicated her life to demonstrating how a community might work productively, collectively, and creatively to organize, embrace unity, and accomplish our goals in a challenging climate. From college admissions to social activism, Lundquist has spent her life dedicated to increasing accessibility for underrepresented populations. She grew up as a low-income, first-generation college graduate and serves as a conduit for diverse populations. Lundquist has benefited from her time in higher education. She has created a constructive rapport with community-based organizations while gaining the trust of many students and colleagues. She has developed and facilitated a number of workshops, training, and retreats dealing with cultural competence, fostering inclusive and equitable pedagogy, and exploring social and cultural differences through intergroup dialogues.

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Grace Dzindolet(she/her)
 

I am a senior in the Sport Management program. I am a captain on the women's basketball team. I am apart of the DEI subcommittee for our Student Athlete Leadership Team. Lily and I are also in charge of the Athlete Ally campus chapter on campus.

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Grayson Stevens(he/him and they/them)
Grayson Stevens

I graduated from Ithaca College in 2021 with my BS in Applied Psychology and minors in Counseling and Women's and Gender Studies. I am currently a first-year student in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program where I hope to focus primarily on transgender and gender-expansive client populations, adolescence, and cultural competence in therapy settings. This year, I am also serving as a graduate associate for the Office of Multicultural Affairs where I have the opportunity to assist in creating and running programming, engaging with undergraduate student leaders, and continuing campus dialogues around social justice.

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Jacquelyn Waters(she/her)
 

Springfield College Freshman '65, Major Public Health; University of Pittsburgh, BS Degree, Psychology '69; UMASS, Amherst, Student Counselor '71; Federal Programs Evaluator, City of Springfield '72-'75; USPS (Human Resources, Safety & Health/OSHA) - Retired 2011

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Jill Kochanek(she/her)
 

I am the Director of the Athletic Leadership Master's Program with the Physical Education and Health Education Department. I identify as a coach-scholar-practitioner, and my background is in the psychosocial aspects of sport. My research and applied work centers on making sport a more inclusive and empowering experience for all. In the applied space, I am a facilitator with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), Koru mindfulness teacher, and soccer coach. In my spare time, riding bicycles (on the road or trail), cooking/sharing a meal with loved ones, and eating ice cream sandwiches bring me lots of joy.

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Judith Herzberg(she/her)
Judith Herzberg

I am an Associate Professor in Human Services and currently lead the interdisciplinary research team named I.R.I.S. (Interdisciplinary Research for Innovated Solutions). My academic research focuses on how to employ ethical leadership to effectively address diversity and inclusion in different social systems.

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Julia Chevan(she/her)
 

Faculty in the department of physical therapy who is trying to make sense of a messy world.

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Justine Dymond(she/her)
Justine Dymond

Associate Professor of English; Faculty Advisor, The Alden Street Review; Co-founder, Belchertown Voices for Justice; Member, Advisory Board, The Resistance Center for Peace & Social Justice (Northampton); Author, The Emigrant & Other Stories (Sowilo Press, 2021); Co-editor, Motherhood Memoirs: Mothers Creating/Writing Lives (Demeter Press, 2013)

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Kayden de Friesse(he/him and they/them)
 

I am the Secretary of GSA, but also involved with Best of Broadway and am an RA on campus! My goal was to be the leader that I didn't have; someone who is transgender there for the underclassmen who may not have had someone like them to look up to. I am an Art Therapy major / Music minor, and love doing art, Theatre, and anything music related

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Lexie Blake(she/her)
Lexie Blake

I am a digital, web and multimedia design major with a marketing minor. I am the president of the GSA, and a leadership summit facilitator. I have a strong passion for people, and for using my privilege to speak up for my peers. I like to spend my free time knitting and embroidering to hard metal, and making my friends laugh.

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Michael D'Andrea(he/him)
Michael D'Andrea

I am an associate professor at Springfield College. My academic interests focus on research endeavors that direct attention to multicultural competence and social justice advocacy. I play the keyboard in my spare time and workout regularly by running. I have a masters degree in school counseling and a doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University in Human Development Counseling.

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Mikayah Rushinski(she/her)
Mikayah Rushinski

I am a sophomore in the PE program with a minor in health education. At home I assist in coaching youth basketball and enjoy going for walks in my free time. I hope to become an elementary physical education teacher and a basketball and/or soccer coach in the future.

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Nathalie Beltran Vargas(she/her)
Nathalie Beltran Vargas

I am an environmental science major. I am a Cultural Connections Leader and also a Women of Power Co-Vice president. One of my goals is to be able to apply my scientific and social justice knowledge to give back to the community. It is important to remember that in order for us to see real change happening, we must start by using what we know, no matter our academic interests or our backgrounds, and dedicate it to fighting for equity, diversity and inclusion. Also, we must be willing and open to learn how to become better allies. We will not know everything but being willing to learn will make us an outstanding person.

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Paris Lizana and Chelsea Harris(she/her)
Chelsea Harris and Paris Lizana

Paris: sports management major, Junior, President of the Black Student Union, Co-VP of Women of Power

Chelsea: Sophomore, History & Secondary Education Major

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Professor Morcego
Professor Morcego

Professor Morcego, born Alexandro Silveira in Salvador Bahia, has been training capoeira since age 7. Morcego recently moved to the United States to continue his mission of sharing Brazilian culture and the art of capoeira with the world. Professor Morcego has performed in Hamilton, Bermuda visited the island at the weekend to support charity Project Change: Bermuda, which provides reconstructive surgery for people living in poverty around the world, Houston, New York, Framingham, Boston, and all over the country. He provides workshops and performances for schools, groups, adult education, and individuals. In addition, Professor Morcego enjoys the music of capoeira and has written many original songs that attest to his talent in all areas of the art.

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Sara Scribner(she/her)
Sara Scribner

Sara Scribner is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Springfield College. Her courses and scholarly activities focus around best practices in inclusive (special) education, critically examining special education systems and structures, and including students who are seen as demonstrating challenging behavior. She loves working with pre-service educators as they develop their skills to be inclusive educators and work to reframe their thinking about students identified for special education supports and services. In her free time, Sara likes to get outside and enjoy nature with her dogs.

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Sarah McNicholas(she/her)
Sarah McNicholas

I am a junior at Springfield College in the Physician Assistant program. I am a second year RA, and on the e-board for CAB. I am also a scoop and NSO leader and love to bring the community of Springfield College together. My hobbies entail drawing, singing and I used to play soccer.

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Simone Alter-Muri(she/her)
Simone Alter-Muri

Director and Professor of Art Therapy and Art Education

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Stephanie Logan(she/her)
 

I am an associate professor of elementary and multicultural education. I serve as the Education Department chair at Springfield College. I am a certified vinyasa yoga instructor and I love green things to eat and time in nature.

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Tanisha Arena and Tenise Monterio(she/her)
 

Tanisha Arena is the executive director of ARISE for Social Justice, bringing an intersecting lens, a passion for social justice and transparent, authentic leadership. She is the host of the award-winning podcast, Unapologetic, bringing the hard truths of our social issues to the forefront as well as a guest commentator on Vaya Con Munoz, a weekly radio show airing on WHMP focusing on political issues. As a consultant for Growing A New Heart, she facilitates Dialogues Across Difference, a training designed to teach ways we can have difficult conversations across profound difference, facilitate learning, and drive social change. Tanisha worked in the private sector, during which time she was a mentor at True Colors, a support and advocacy organization for sexual minority youth in Hartford, CT. Tanisha holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University and a Master’s Degree in Non Profit Management from Bay Path University and recently completed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Program through the University of South Florida. In her free time she enjoys cooking, gardening, exercise, writing short stories and poetry.

Tenise Monterio co-owns Dragonfly Lake Scents, a handmade bath and body company in Erie, PA that primarily uses locally sourced ingredients. She has taught Dismantling Racism workshops for the Virginia Organizing Project, and served as a member of the board. She has worked as a L.A.S.S.O. Outreach Worker for The Virginia Health Department and has taught the African American AIDS program for the American Red Cross. She has co-facilitated O.W.L. (Our Whole Lives) for grades 7-9, 10-12, and young adults, for the Unitarian Universalist Church. She has worked as a doula for underserved communities. She has also published under a pen name in Knit Lit Two: Stores From Sheep to Shawl. Tenise holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Randolph-Macon Woman's College. In her spare time she enjoys writing, knitting, reading, cooking and baking.

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Tien Nguyen(he/him)
Tien Nguyen

I am a sophomore in the PA program. My hobbies include traveling, working out, and trying new food.

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Zev Levi Spiegel(he/him and they/them)
Zev Levi Spiegel

Zev is a first year in Springfield College's PsyD Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Educational Theatre from New York University and has a background in early childhood education, theatre production, and social justice education. Zev approaches the study of psychology with a liberation mindset and pursues his doctorate in order to provide and advocate for TGNC, gender creative and gender diverse youth.

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